Norwegian Fjords newbie

[alyssamma]

Hi, I was hoping someone could give me some feedback on my itinerary and also answer what I suppose is a pretty basic question.

 

For the itinerary, I just wanted to know if this is good for someone who has never seen the fjords and is unlikely to return to see them. I read about Flam and Geiranger and unsure how they compare to what this itinerary has.

 

For the question, when we sail the fjords, is the view coming in (super early morning) the same as the view leaving (evening). For example, cruising Sognefjord at 7 or 8am to get into Skjolden...will we see the same things when we leave at 6pm? Obviously it is the same body of water, and I'm assuming because of the time of year the "daylight" will be the same, but unsure if there is a reason to see at one time over the other.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

Itinerary Date Port Arrival Departure Sat, Jul 01, 2023 AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS BOARDING TIME TO BE ASSIGNED VISA REQ FOR SOME -- 4:00 pm Sun, Jul 02, 2023 AT SEA -- -- Mon, Jul 03, 2023 EIDFJORD, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 7:00 am 5:00 pm Mon, Jul 03, 2023 SCENIC CRUISING HARDANGERFJORD CRUISING ONLY -- -- Tue, Jul 04, 2023 SKJOLDEN, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 9:00 am 6:00 pm Tue, Jul 04, 2023 SCENIC CRUISING SOGNEFJORD CRUISING ONLY -- -- Wed, Jul 05, 2023 ANDALSNES, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 10:00 am 8:00 pm Thu, Jul 06, 2023 TRONDHEIM, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 8:00 am 5:00 pm Thu, Jul 06, 2023 SCENIC CRUISING TRONDHEIMSFJORD CRUISING ONLY -- -- Fri, Jul 07, 2023 AT SEA -- -- Sat, Jul 08, 2023 HAMMERFEST, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 8:00 am 6:00 pm Sun, Jul 09, 2023 HONNINGSVAG, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 8:00 am 6:00 pm Sun, Jul 09, 2023 SCENIC CRUISING NORTH CAPE CRUISING ONLY SUBJECT TO WEATHER -- -- Mon, Jul 10, 2023 AT SEA -- -- Tue, Jul 11, 2023 AT SEA -- -- Wed, Jul 12, 2023 BERGEN, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 8:00 am 5:00 pm Thu, Jul 13, 2023 STAVANGER, NORWAY VISA REQ FOR SOME 8:00 am 6:00 pm Fri, Jul 14, 2023 AT SEA -- -- Sat, Jul 15, 2023 AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS VISA REQ FOR SOME 7:00 am -- Please Note: Cruise itineraries are subject to change

[Turtles06]

That’s the HAL Rotterdam, right?  If you’re booked or do book, come over and join the Roll Call.  And if you add the 7-day cruise that follows, you’ll have Geiranger as well, and the lovely little town of Alesund. 
 

 

[alyssamma]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

That’s the HAL Rotterdam, right?  If you’re booked or do book, come over and join the Roll Call.  And if you add the 7-day cruise that follows, you’ll have Geiranger as well, and the lovely little town of Alesund. 
 

 

It is...and interesting about adding the 7 day...I will look at that...thanks!

 

I'm not 100% sure I'm going, that's why I haven't joined the roll call yet. 

[hallasm]

This is a midnight sun and fjord cruise. In Honningsvåg the main attraction is North Cape. Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger are coastal cities.
When entering the ports located in the fjords Eidfjord, Andalsnes and Skjolden your are navigating exact the same fjords when entering and leaving.

Personally I prefer the beautiful views in the quiet mornings at the upper decks. So time in evening the scenic part is at the same time as dinner and other activities.

[ChattTenn]

We had been in Olso on Baltic cruise but never have been to further north of Norway and trying to come up with a cruise that could capture the most of Norway fjord.  For some of the experts on this board which one of the two below has the most beautiful fjord.  Thank you for your input.

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart
Saturday, August 19	London (Southampton), England		4:00pm
Sunday, August 20	At Sea
Monday, August 21	Bergen, Norway	10:00am	7:00pm
Tuesday, August 22	Flam, Norway	7:00am	4:30pm
Wednesday, August 23	Olden, Norway	8:00am	4:00pm
Thursday, August 24	Trondheim, Norway	8:00am	4:00pm
Friday, August 25	At Sea
Saturday, August 26	Honningsvag, Norway	10:00am	8:00pm
Sunday, August 27	Tromso, Norway	8:00am	4:00pm
Monday, August 28	Gravdal, Norway	8:00am	6:00pm
Tuesday, August 29	At Sea
Wednesday, August 30	Skjolden, Norway	7:00am	4:00pm
Thursday, August 31	At Sea
Friday, September 1	At Sea
Saturday, September 2	London (Southampton), England	7:00am

Date	Port	Arrive	Depart
Saturday, June 17	Amsterdam, Holland		5:00pm
Sunday, June 18	At Sea
Monday, June 19	Geiranger, Norway	10:00am	4:00pm
Tuesday, June 20	Arctic Circle (Cruising)
Wednesday, June 21	Honningsvag, Norway	2:00pm
Thursday, June 22	Honningsvag, Norway		4:00pm
Friday, June 23	At Sea
Saturday, June 24	Alesund, Norway	10:00am	6:00pm
Sunday, June 25	Flam, Norway	8:00am	5:00pm
Monday, June 26	Olden, Norway	10:00am	7:00pm
Tuesday, June 27	Molde, Norway	8:00am	4:00pm
Wednesday, June 28	At Sea
Thursday, June 29	Amsterdam, Holland	6:00am

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, ChattTenn said:

For some of the experts on this board which one of the two below has the most beautiful fjord.  Thank you for your input.

The cruise from Amsterdam is absolutely the best - three scenic fjords versus two!

For the Amsterdam cruise: Geiranger, Flåm, and Olden

Southampton cruise has Flåm and Olden

However the first cruise has Bergen and Tromsø  - second only Ålesund.

Bergen is more interesting than Ålesund.

Gravdal and Molde are both ting city with few opportunities  rather than Nature.

Both cruises are including Arctic Circle and Honningsvåg (North Cape) but the big problem with the first cruise from Southampton is August while Amsterdam cruise is in June.

The big difference is the midnight sun in June - a highlight for Arctic Circle cruises is the midnight sun - but no midnight sun in August!

Hope it helps.

[ChattTenn]

Thank you HALLASM for the input.  We are leaning toward the cruise from Amsterdam too and hope to see Norway next year.  We had one cruise planned in 2020 but had to cancel due to Covid.

 

 

[gnome12]

@ChattTenn, can I ask what cruise line your second option is with?

[CCJack]

On our cruise the early morning views (sail in fjord) and evening views (sail out) were quite a bit different.   sun angle, wind, etc. can make quite a difference.   I really liked the early morning views, and as others have mentioned the evening tends to have a lot of ship activity going on ( dinner, etc.) and mornings are more quiet on the decks.

 

[ChattTenn]

13 hours ago, gnome12 said:

@ChattTenn, can I ask what cruise line your second option is with?

Hello,

It is Royal Caribbean - Jewel of the Seas.  

[Senga]

@hallasm

We will be visiting the following ports on Sky Princess in May 2023;

Skjolden – 16^th   7-4

Olden – 17^th        9-6

Alesund – 18^th    7-4

Would I be correct in thinking that I would need to be on our balcony very early when we sail into Skjolden and Olden to really enjoy the fjords?  Also, I’ve read about some amazing Norwegian pastries.  Any recommendations for a café in any of these ports?

 

[gnome12]

Other than cost (a big issue) I think that I have found almost my perfect Norway cruise.

Silversea's Silver Dawn Jun 15-29 2024

Oslo

Kristiansand

at sea

Geiranger/Hellesylt

at sea

Leknes (Vestågøy)

Harstad

Honningsvag/North Cape

Tromsø

at sea

Ålesund

Flåm

Bergen

at sea

Copenhagen

[hallasm]

7 hours ago, Senga said:

Would I be correct in thinking that I would need to be on our balcony very early when we sail into Skjolden and Olden to really enjoy the fjords?

Yes, Olden and Molde are located at the end of deep scenic fjords.  I personally think that it is most beautiful to sail into the fjords in the early morning light from sunrise at  4am.

These are the same fjords in the evening, and can also be beautiful at sunset.  In the evening there are often other activities as well.  However, the best views are from the upper outer decks.  

Also sailing in and out to Ålesund is beautiful, but it is not a deep fjord.

[hallasm]

3 hours ago, gnome12 said:

Other than cost (a big issue) I think that I have found almost my perfect Norway cruise.

Silversea's Silver Dawn Jun 15-29 2024

Yes, Midnight Sun Cruise to North Cape including Lofoten Islands, two deep fjords as well as Ålesund and Bergen. 
- and not least start in Oslo and end in Copenhagen.  Then it couldn't be more perfect

[Capt_BJ]

we recently booked

 

our second cruise to the area, not long ago did

 

 

and have done Oslo <> Bergen twice by train once routing thru FLAM <Norway in a Nutshell>

looking forward to visiting the northern most city with over 1000 perm' residents . . . not sure why we stay overnight . . . but I digress . . .

[shippmates]

Capt_BJ

 

I am doing the Norway fjords cruise next May on the QM2 and am looking at the Norway in a Nutshell excursions.  Please give you thoughts on this and whether you felt it was worth the money.  Thank you.

 

[hallasm]

3 hours ago, shippmates said:

I am doing the Norway fjords cruise next May on the QM2 and am looking at the Norway in a Nutshell excursions. 

Are you regering to a QM2 or Fjordtours excursion during a port stop in Bergen or a pre/post cruise  tour with the train from Oslo via Flåm to Bergen?

[shippmates]

I am looking at the QM2 excursion.

 

[garycarla]

We are looking at MSC out of either Hamburg or Kiel.  Thoughts, feedback.  These are 10/11 nights

 

 

 

 

[JohnAllen75]

17 hours ago, garycarla said:

We are looking at MSC out of either Hamburg or Kiel.  Thoughts, feedback.  These are 10/11 nights

 

 

 

 

 

I would go for number two. Bergen are the most visited cruise port in Norway, and a really nice city, a must see. Can get a bit crowded.

 

Tromsø, Trondheim are both nice places. I guess Honningsvåg as well, but not been there. 

 

 

First year for Måløy as a cruise port. As I understand it there are some start up issues with providing tours and transport.  Hopefully getting better next year. Måløy are an Island at the coast, on the start of the Nordfjord

 

Nordfjordeid are some 50 km in the fjord from the coast, nice open scenery. Well organized tour options and also a nice town itself to spend the day. If windy the ships use tender boats, otherwise seawalk. 

 

www.fjordex.no 

www.portofnordfjordeid.no 

 

[REEtired]

Looking at flights from Amsterdam.  If the ship arrives at 6 am, would it be possible to make a 10:55 am flight back to the states. It’s a nonstop. Suggestions welcomed. Thanks!

[Turtles06]

29 minutes ago, REEtired said:

Looking at flights from Amsterdam.  If the ship arrives at 6 am, would it be possible to make a 10:55 am flight back to the states. It’s a nonstop. Suggestions welcomed. Thanks!

The advice I’ve read here on CC is not to attempt that, better to stay a night in Amsterdam and not make yourself crazy.

[CCJack]

5 hours ago, REEtired said:

Looking at flights from Amsterdam.  If the ship arrives at 6 am, would it be possible to make a 10:55 am flight back to the states. It’s a nonstop. Suggestions welcomed. Thanks!

well for summer of 2022 that would definitely not work.  Amsterdam airport has been a disaster and they are recommending arriving 4 or 5 hours before your flight.   We were there in June 2022 and it was as bad as advertised on the news.    I assume you are looking for summer 2023 or later, we can only hope that Schiphol gets things under control by then.   However, even with a smooth running airport, that time is too right for my comfort zone.   I would spend a night, and enjoy Amsterdam for one more day post cruise.  Other than the airport situation, I feel Amsterdam is a great city to start or end a cruise.   The ships dock right downtown.   Plus you get to see these giant ships go through a lock, which doesn't happen with hardly any other ports....

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by CCJack